Fast Facts about Gold:
1. Gold was discovered January 24, 1848 by James Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma
2. Gold was valued from $12.00 to $35.00 an ounce.
3. The world’s largest nugget found in Australia was discovered in 1869 and weighed 200 pounds.
4. The world’s second largest nugget was discovered in California and weighed 160 pounds
Ever since the dawn of civilization gold has been a most highly desired commodity. Whether it is sought after as an attractive shiny metal, for perceived medical benefits, industrial uses, coinage, or protection against government created inflation; gold has been in high demand since its discovery.
In today’s economic state, many investors have been turning to gold investments. Investors generally buy gold as a hedge or safe haven against any economic, political, social, or financial crisis. Furthermore, gold has historically shown to be a proven method of preserving value when a national currency was losing value. If your investments are valued in a depreciating currency, allocating a portion to gold assets is similar to a financial insurance policy. Over the past decade gold has climbed in price; (over $1300 per oz) making it appear very attractive and many speculators believe it is going to continue to rise as well.
If you are thinking about buying gold there are several ways to own the precious metal. Here they are:
- Owning stock in a gold mining company.
- Gold CDs (These differ from traditional CDs because they are tied to the price of gold.
- Gold as an exchange traded product.
- Gold coins
- Gold bullion
Gold certainly is a survivor in this test of time and, in these unstable economic times gold has shown as a time tested tool for asset protection. Gold has never gone to zero as has the value of securities ranging from sovereign debt (the debt of nations) to individual companies. It is indeed THE store of value for all recorded history!
Remember: The value of gold fluctuates as much as the stock market and it is certainly a myth to say that gold is a fool-proof investment.